“Quake!” I shouted, grabbing Charley’s hand.
The net sagged as the ground shifted. People dropped to the sand or gripped rocks for support; Charley’s hand held mine in a death grip.
Game over, Nil giggled. The quake was as subtle as a brick.
The tremor ended as quickly as it began.
“Earthquake?” Charley asked in the postquake stillness. “Do these happen often?”
“Nah. Just when Nil decides to shake things up a bit.”
“Funny,” she said without smiling.
“I thought so.” My tone was grim.
“Hey, Thad!” Heesham yelled. He was already rolling up the net with Jason. “You didn’t tell me you had a ringer, man!”
“Didn’t know,” I answered. “Heesham, take Jason and check the Shack. Make sure everything’s secure, then scout the Cove for slides. Sy and Jillian, find Julio and check the fire ring, then the baking pits. Rives, take Bart, Macy, and Talla. Sweep the perimeter and make sure everyone’s okay. Charley and I’ll start checking foundations.”
Rives saluted, and everyone split.
Working methodically around the City ring, Charley and Iinspected each A-frame foundation for cracks. The only suspect one was the last A-frame, the one Rives and I had just repaired. Our patch had crumbled, and the entire corner was in shambles. It needed a full reconstruction. At least we had the rocks.
I showed Charley how to mix wet sand with root gum and crushed shells, making island cement.Please hold, I thought as we set the first rock in place. We didn’t need this A-frame now, but tomorrow was another story. Some days I felt like we were barely holding the City together.
As I reached for a second rock, Charley stopped me, her eyes on the construction, her hand on mine. “If we reset it the same way, it’ll crumble again. What if we reinforce it?”
I set the rock down. “How?”
“I have an idea. Give me a sec.” She jogged to the Shack, and when she returned, she carried a small stack of bamboo. She laid the bamboo rods on the ground in a crisscross pattern. “We need to cut a few down, but if we wedge these rods between the rocks like this, I think it’ll support the corner weight better, and we can set the rocks around it.” She looked up. “What do you think?”
I stared at the bamboo, seeing what she did: island rebar.
“I think you have hidden talents. It’s brilliant.”
“Not hardly,” she said. “It just makes sense. Plus, my uncle’s a civil engineer. He builds bridges.”
“Like I said, it’s brilliant.”
Following Charley’s lead, we wove the bamboo into the corner, creating a lattice pattern within the wall. When we were done, I had to admit, it looked a whole lot better than the sloppy job Rives and I had done. This time it would hold, no question.
As Charley and I left the freshly repaired A-frame, I sensed the City sliding back into Nil normalcy, where survival and escape were equals. We’d survived today’s threat, so we could play Nil’sgame again tomorrow—or worse, in an hour. Nil loved nothing more than a second round of fun.
Pushing Nil from my thoughts, I focused on the good. On Charley, who stood mere centimeters away. I breathed easier having her close. It gave me a fighting chance to keep her safe.
“So,” I asked as we rinsed our hands in the ocean, “are you, like, some beach volleyball pro back home?”
“Not so much. I just play a little indoor ball.” She cocked her head at me. “You held your own pretty well. Is volleyball one of your hidden talents?”
“Maybe.”
“Well, you’re definitely athletic,” Charley said. “I bet you’re a heck of a snowboarder.”
Moments flying over white felt distant, like they weren’t mine. Grabbing the last memory before it faded, I reveled in the rush, feeling the icy air bite my cheeks as I breathed it in. Snow had a distinct smell, pure and clean, like nothing else on the planet. Like nothing on Nil.
“I wanted to go pro.” My voice was quiet.
“Wanted?” She looked curious. “You don’t anymore?”
